DURHAM, N.C. — Peyton Manning threw his first passes to his newest Broncos teammate Wes Welker during a workout Wednesday at Duke.

Welker and Broncos receivers Demaryius Thomas and Eric Decker joined the veteran quarterback, working with Duke coach David Cutcliffe, who was Manning’s quarterbacks coach at Tennessee and oversaw much of the quarterback’s work when he was recovering from his neck surgeries.

Welker left the Patriots and signed a two-year, $12 million deal with the Broncos this offseason.

Manning said in an ESPN interview, “There are certain guys you feel like you need it to happen with right away. He’s a guy who has a great feel for getting open, understanding route concepts. He played a sophisticated offense in New England. He’s smart. You can see why he’s such a productive player.”